Maldives - Communications Authority Act (42/2015)

Overview

The Communications Authority of Maldives Act (Law No. 42/2015) establishes the Communications Authority of Maldives (CAM) as the independent regulator responsible for administering and regulating telecommunications, postal services and broader info‑communications in the Republic of Maldives. The CAM Act operates alongside the Maldives Telecommunications Act (Act No. 43/2015), which sets out licensing, spectrum and service‑level obligations. The CAM Act was passed by the People’s Majlis in late 2015 and the Authority was formally established and began operations in early 2016. The sectoral regulatory framework is technology‑neutral and focuses on services, networks, spectrum and equipment rather than specific classes of algorithms or AI models. The full text and consolidated information on the Telecommunications Act and related CAM summaries are available from CAM’s site: https://cam.gov.mv/telecom_law2015.htm.

Definitions

The CAM Act and the Telecommunications Act use sectoral and technology‑neutral terminology (for example: “telecommunications”, “spectrum”, “licence”, “equipment type‑approval”, “short‑codes”, “numbering”). There is no separate AI‑specific statutory definition within the Acts. For statutory definitions of licence classes, equipment approval, and related regulatory terms, see the parent legislation and CAM’s published policy pages (for example: https://cam.gov.mv/aboutus.htm and https://cam.gov.mv/telecom_law2015.htm). If implementers require formal legal definitions not present in the Acts, those are normally derived from the wording of the two enabling statutes and from CAM’s subordinate rules and procedural instruments.

Governance and Institutional Framework

CAM is constituted as an independent institution governed by a Board and led by a Chief Executive, with specified delegated powers for licensing, technical regulation, and enforcement. CAM operates through functional sections responsible for licensing & competition, standards & technical regulation, and development & international coordination. The Authority may make subsidiary rules and procedures (for example Rules of Procedure and specific subordinate regulations such as short‑code assignment, vendor licences, numbering plans and number‑portability rules). CAM publishes its organisational structure, mandate and the classes of licences and approvals on its official site: https://cam.gov.mv/aboutus.htm. In September 2024 the President redesignated CAM to function under the Ministry of Homeland Security and Technology, an executive re‑organisation affecting the institutional placement of the Authority (see https://presidency.gov.mv/Press/Article/31580). CAM’s internal delegations and operational practice follow the enabling legislation and the subordinate rules it issues.

Key Focus Areas

• Establishment and governance: creation of the Communications Authority of Maldives as an independent regulator with Board oversight and a Chief Executive to implement delegated powers (see https://cam.gov.mv/aboutus.htm).
• Licensing and market regulation: authority to issue licences for telecommunications and related services, promote competition and implement a licensing framework aligned with national policy objectives; these powers are exercised in conjunction with the Telecommunications Act (Act No. 43/2015) (see https://cam.gov.mv/telecom_law2015.htm).
• Spectrum management and technical regulation: responsibility for spectrum allocation and planning, and for type‑approval of radio/telecommunications equipment and terminal devices; CAM maintains equipment approval lists and type‑approval processes (see https://cam.gov.mv/aboutus.htm).
• Rules, fees and delegated instruments: power to make subordinate rules and procedures (for example Rules of Procedure and regulation numbers such as R035/2021), to set fees and licensing conditions, and to issue administrative instruments affecting operators and vendors (see https://majlis.gov.mv/en/19-parliament/committee-meeting/1810).
• Consumer protection and service quality: powers to set service standards, monitor compliance, maintain complaint handling mechanisms and impose corrective measures or sanctions for breaches of licence conditions (see https://cam.gov.mv/aboutus.htm).
• Enforcement and remedies: administrative enforcement powers including directions, administrative penalties, suspension and revocation of licences, and technical remedies (for example equipment disconnection or spectrum sanctions), implemented under the parent Acts and subordinate rules (see https://cam.gov.mv/telecom_law2015.htm).

Implementation Framework

Implementation of the CAM Act and the Telecommunications Act is effected through a combination of: (a) primary legislation (the Acts themselves); (b) subordinate rules and regulations issued by CAM (for example short‑code rules, numbering plans, type‑approval lists); and (c) administrative actions by CAM (licence issuance, enforcement directions, fee schedules). CAM publishes sectoral policies and operational instruments (for example short code policy: https://cam.gov.mv/shortcode.htm and policy pages: https://cam.gov.mv/policy.htm). The Authority has authority to allocate spectrum, approve equipment, administer numbering resources and licence vendors and operators. Where CAM exercises its powers it does so in conformity with the enabling statutes and through published procedures; Parliamentary oversight (People’s Majlis committees) has in practice reviewed CAM rule‑making and fee‑setting (see committee records at https://majlis.gov.mv/en/19-parliament/committee-meeting/1810 and https://majlis.gov.mv/en/19-parliament/committee-meeting/1797).

Monitoring and Evaluation

CAM conducts monitoring through regulatory supervision of licensees, technical conformity checks, equipment approvals and enforcement reporting. Service‑quality monitoring, complaint handling and compliance audits form part of CAM’s oversight activities. Parliamentary committees provide legislative and public oversight of CAM’s subordinate rule‑making and fee schedules (committee minutes and references to specific CAM regulations such as R035/2021 are available from the People’s Majlis pages: https://majlis.gov.mv/en/19-parliament/committee-meeting/1810). CAM’s published lists, policy pages and public notices are primary sources for evaluating CAM’s implementation activity (see https://cam.gov.mv/policy.htm and https://cam.gov.mv/aboutus.htm).

Penalties, Liability, and Appeals

The enabling Acts and subordinate regulations provide CAM with administrative enforcement powers. These include issuing directions to licensees, imposing administrative penalties, suspending or revoking licences, and applying technical remedies such as disconnection of equipment or spectrum sanctions. The Telecommunications Act supplies complementary enforcement detail for telecom operators; precise penalty amounts, procedural safeguards and appeal routes are set out in the parent Acts and in CAM’s rules of procedure (see https://cam.gov.mv/telecom_law2015.htm and CAM’s published procedural instruments). Where affected parties seek to challenge CAM enforcement decisions, statutory appeal or review mechanisms described in the Acts and relevant procedural rules apply; parties should consult the text of the Acts and CAM’s rules for the applicable review and appeal pathways.

Relationship to Other Instruments

The CAM Act operates in direct conjunction with the Maldives Telecommunications Act (Act No. 43/2015), which together form the primary legal framework for communications sector governance. Sectoral laws (for example in finance, health or other regulated sectors) can impose additional obligations on operators and service providers that intersect with CAM’s remit (for example obligations about confidentiality or operational standards). Constitutional protections (for example the Constitution’s guarantee of respect for private and family life and private communications) remain relevant to how communications and data‑handling are regulated. CAM’s instruments do not constitute a comprehensive national data‑protection regime; matters such as general data‑subject rights, cross‑border transfer rules and a dedicated supervisory data‑protection authority are not established by CAM’s sectoral Acts unless separate legislation or CAM regulations address those subjects. For the primary statutory instruments and consolidated CAM materials, see https://cam.gov.mv/telecom_law2015.htm and https://cam.gov.mv/aboutus.htm.

International Alignment

The CAM Act and Telecommunications Act are technology‑neutral and oriented to sectoral communications regulation. CAM’s technical and spectrum activities (type‑approval, equipment conformity, numbering and short‑codes) align with common functional practices of communications regulators internationally (for example: regulatory control over spectrum allocation, equipment safety and numbering resources). For matters of privacy, data protection and AI lifecycle governance, Maldives historically has not had a single comprehensive personal data protection statute equivalent to frameworks such as the EU GDPR; as a result, international best practice (data minimisation, purpose limitation, security‑by‑design and documented risk assessments) is recommended for implementers until and unless consolidated domestic data protection or AI governance legislation is enacted. CAM’s remit can affect AI where AI is deployed through communications networks or devices (for example IoT devices, voice‑biometrics, messaging platforms and network management systems), but the Acts do not themselves establish AI‑specific auditability, model‑evaluation or dataset‑provenance obligations.

Implementation Timeline

Sources and References